The Charity Shield marks the beginning of the new football season in England and Premier League champions, Chelsea will square up with the FA Cup champions, Arsenal in what could be termed as a grudge match with the Blues looking to avenge the 2-1 defeat in the final of the FA Cup at the closing stage of last season.

Since then both team have reinforce their squad with Arsenal bringing in Sead Kolasinac and Alexandre Lacazette while the Chelsea squad has been bolstered with Alvaro Morata, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Antonio Rudiger and Willy Caballero.

Both team met during the pre seasons in the Far east and the Blues ran out with a 3-0 victory.

However, the Gunners will be looking forward to prove a point that the FA Cup final result is not a fluke and that they can still stand toe to toe with the best.

Players like Alexis Sanchez, Shkordan Mustafi, Rob Holding are first team players but are not likely to be available for this encounter as a result of their off season tournament activities for their various countries.

But Arsenal still has a squad capable of getting the better off the Antonio Comte’s side and kick off the season in a frenzy mood by winning the Community Shield.

Looking at the present Arsenal squad, Footy Onside is thus putting forward a squad believe to be the strongest for the encounter at Wembley Stadium.

Sticking to the 3-2-4-1 formation which enabled the Gunner to finished strongly last season, the Gunners should have:

The Nigeria Football Federation has expressed shock and dismay at news on Thursday evening that Super Eagles’ number one goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme, had been diagnosed with acute leukemia.

A stunned NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, was lost for words after the sad news broke in the international media. “What? This is very, very sad. Carl Ikeme diagnosed with acute leukemia? This is harsh.”

Sanusi stated that the NFF and the Nigerian Football family would rally round the energetic shot –stopper in his difficult period.

“Our thoughts are with Carl at this difficult period. The NFF and the football fraternity in Nigeria are taken aback by this sad development, knowing how strong Carl has been in goal for Nigeria since he made his debut in 2015.

“We have been told that he will start chemotherapy immediately. We want him to stay strong and remain the self –assured man that he has always been, and we will continue to pray for him and wish him the best with regards to the treatment,” Sanusi said.

Ikeme has always shown ability, agility and high level of confidence between the sticks for Nigeria, since taking up the number one goalie’s responsibilities following the sudden retirement of three –time World Cup star Vincent Enyeama from international football in October 2015.

He was in goal for the Super Eagles over two legs of the 2018 FIFA World Cup preliminary round against Swaziland, as well as the 2-1 defeat of Zambia in Ndola at the beginning of the group phase of the 2018 FIFA World Cup race. He was also in action against Tanzania and Egypt in 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches, and in friendly games against Mali and Luxembourg in Europe last year summer.

West Ham kicks off their Premier League campaign with a tough trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on August 12.

Slaven Bilic’s side then face newly-promoted sides — Newcastle United and Huddersfield — in two of their next three matches.

It is December and April that could prove pivotal months for the Hammers, however. Bilic’s side take on Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in the space of 10 days before Christmas and then play them all again in the season’s penultimate month.

West Ham Premier League Fixtures

August 12 Manchester United (A)

August 19 Southampton (H)

August 26 Newcastle (A)

September 9 Huddersfield (H)

September 16 West Brom (A)

September 23 Tottenham (H)

September 30 Swansea (H)

October 14 Burnley (A)

October 21 Brighton (H)

October 28 Crystal Palace (A)

November 4 Liverpool (H)

November 18 Watford (A)

November 25 Leicester (H)

November 29 Everton (A)

December 2 Manchester City (A)

December 9 Chelsea (H)

December 12 Arsenal (H)

December 16 Stoke (A)

December 23 Newcastle (H)

December 26 Bournemouth (A)

December 30 Tottenham (A)

January 1 West Brom (H)

January 13 Huddersfield (A)

January 20 Bournemouth (H)

January 30 Crystal Palace (H)

February 3 Brighton (A)

February 10 Watford (A)

February 24 Liverpool (A)

March 3 Swansea (A)

March 10 Burnley (H)

March 17 Manchester United (H)

March 31 Southampton (A)

April 7 Chelsea (A)

April 14 Stoke (H)

April 21 Arsenal (A)

April 28 Manchester City (H)

May 5 Leicester (A)

May 13 Everton (H)

All fixtures are subject to change once live TV schedule has been finalised

Arsenal will kick off the 2017/2018 season with the FA Community Shield clash with Chelsea in what could be seen as a replay of the FA Cup final at Wembley. Before they kick start the Premier League Season with the deposed Premier League champion Leicester City at the Emirates

LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 27: The Arsenal team celebrate with The FA Cup after The Emirates FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on May 27, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Complete Arsenal Premier League Fixtures

August 2017

Community Shield Arsenal v Chelsea Sun 6 Aug 16:00

Premier League Arsenal v Leicester City Sat 12 Aug 15:00

Premier League Stoke City v Arsenal Sat 19 Aug 15:00

Premier League Liverpool v Arsenal Sat 26 Aug 15:00

September 2017

Premier League Arsenal v Bournemouth Sat 9 Sep 15:00

Premier League Chelsea v Arsenal Sat 16 Sep 15:00

Premier League Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion Sat 23 Sep 15:00

Premier League Arsenal v Brighton & Hove Albion Sat 30 Sep 15:00

October 2017

Premier League Watford v Arsenal Sat 14 Oct 15:00

Premier League Everton v Arsenal Sat 21 Oct 15:00

Premier League Arsenal v Swansea City Sat 28 Oct 15:00

November 2017

Premier League Man City v Arsenal Sat 4 Nov 15:00

Premier League Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur Sat 18 Nov 15:00

Premier League Burnley v Arsenal Sat 25 Nov 15:00

Premier League Arsenal v Huddersfield Town Tue 28 Nov 19:45

December 2017

Premier League Arsenal v Manchester United Sat 2 Dec 15:00

Premier League Southampton v Arsenal Sat 9 Dec 15:00

Premier League West Ham United v Arsenal Tue 12 Dec 19:45

Premier League Arsenal v Newcastle United Sat 16 Dec 15:00

Premier League Arsenal v Liverpool Sat 23 Dec 15:00

Premier League Crystal Palace v Arsenal Tue 26 Dec 15:00

Premier League West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal Sat 30 Dec 15:00

January 2018

Premier League Arsenal v Chelsea Mon 1 Jan 15:00

Premier League Bournemouth v Arsenal Sat 13 Jan 15:00

Premier League Arsenal v Crystal Palace Sat 20 Jan 15:00

Premier League Swansea City v Arsenal Tue 30 Jan 19:45

February 2018

Premier League Arsenal v Everton Sat 3 Feb 15:00

Premier League Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal Sat 10 Feb 15:00

Premier League Arsenal v Manchester City Sat 24 Feb 15:00

March 2018

Premier League Brighton & Hove Albion v Arsenal Sat 3 Mar 15:00

Premier League Arsenal v Watford Sat 10 Mar 15:00

Premier League Leicester City v Arsenal Sat 17 Mar 15:00

Premier League Arsenal v Stoke City Sat 31 Mar 15:00

April 2018

Premier League Arsenal v Southampton Sat 7 Apr 15:00

Premier League Newcastle United v Arsenal Sat 14 Apr 15:00

Premier League Arsenal v West Ham United Sat 21 Apr 15:00

Premier League Manchester United v Arsenal Sat 28 Apr 15:00

May 2018

Premier League Arsenal v Burnley Sat 5 May 15:00

Premier League Huddersfield Town v Arsenal Sun 13 May 15:00

N.B Matches are listed are subject to changes according to the FA’s discretion and broadcaster’s right.

Arsenal and France forward, Olivier Giroud, once again demonstrated why he still deserve to be in the Arsenal squad for the upcoming 2017/2018 season when he scored France and only goal against Sweden in their Group A World Cup qualifying encounter.

Though Sweden won after Durmaz (43′minutes) and Toivonen (90’+3minutes) canceled out Giroud’s 37 minute opener.

But the quality of the strike and its execution was stunning, thus underlining his pedigree as a world class striker no matter what some critic would say about him. With such quality strike, he has shown that he deserve to be trusted by his fellow country man, Arsene Wenger.

Welcome to the start of the Summer transfer window for 2016. Even before the shutter of the window clicks there had been some behind the curtain activities that the curtain could no longer hide.
Footyonside is ready to go all the way in reporting the linked movements, done deals and missed opportunities of the window.
England as usual will be a beehive of activities these transfer season, with new managers at the helm of affairs at clubs like Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelloti, Manchester City’s (Pep Guardiola) and Manchester United’s (Jose Mourinho). Liverpool”s Jurgen Klopp also want to establish himself in the Premier League.
However while Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger started the behind the curtain activities by snapping up Granit Xhaka from the German Bundesliga, he seems to have gone into hibernation not minding the fact that he triggered the buyout clause of Leicester City’s Jarmie Vardy.
Ever since then, the French tactician seems to have forgotten that his primary assignment is to ensure that the Gunners build on their ” accidental ‘second position from the just concluded season.
Rather Le Prof is very busy with his pundit work at Euro 2016 in his native country France while other managers are busy solidifying their teams.
The most annoying part is that one after the other, players that are linked with the team are been snatched up by direct rivals in the English Premier League.
Among such players are Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan both to wear the Manchester United colour for the 2016 /2017 season.
While it is a good thing that Wenger’s knowledge of the game is been recognized, the fact is that it is negatively affecting the transfer activities of the team. The last summer transfer window is still fresh in the mind of many Arsenal fans. Gonzalo Higuain, Kareem, Benzeama and a host of other missed opportunities while Wenger was in South America covering the Copa America tourney in Chile.
Now this summer transfer window is about to take the same shape.

I just hope this will not be offensive to the ardent Manchester United fans worldwide, but looking around the once greatest team in England and one of the best teams in the world, things have not been the same since the retirement of the enigma, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Since the serial title winner Sir Alex Ferguson left what was, undeniably, the biggest club in England, they have broken records left and right;
– They went from Premier League champions to finishing 7th, meaning Man Utd would have no European football of any kind.
– They lost 3 games in a row for the first time in over a decade.
– They finished with their worst ever Premier League points tally.
– They failed to win the opening 3 games of a Premier league season for The first time.
– For the first time ever in the Premier league, Man Utd took a two goal lead in a game but still ended up losing.
– They lost their first home game of the season for the first time in over 40 years.
– This season they lost four successive league games for the first time since the 60s.

Now to be sure, this does make entertaining reading, the fact is no ordinary football fan likes Man Utd, that’s an undeniable fact. But another fact is that somehow the biggest club in England has now become a joke. SAF retired in glory, but since then they have been a shadow.

Arsène Wenger has revealed how Arsenal have managed Mesut Ozil’s fitness during the busy festive period.

The World Cup winner started all three of the Gunners’ games over Christmas, claiming a goal and two assists as the Gunners secured their place at the top of the Premier League.

Ozil is the best form of his career, having directly contributed to 19 league goals already this season, and Wenger believes that the 27-year-old has benefitted from time away from the training ground.

“I gave Mesut a one-week holiday during the international break,” he said. “At the moment he doesn’t practice a lot, we rest him a lot between the games.

“He is a guy who, once the basic fitness is there between the games, he wants to play. There are types of players, sometimes the most technical players, it looks like it demands less energy for them to play – it is just natural for them.

“Rotation is sensitive more in the centre of the team than on the flanks. If I play Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and then Joel Campbell, that is not really rotation, but in the heart of the team at centre back or central midfield it is more risky.

“You also look at the impact Ozil can have on other players. The Premier League is very tight and if you go into the decisive game and [rest Ozil or other key players], the other players think subconsciously ‘Why?’, and even the player himself.

“When we lost at Southampton everyone said to me ‘Why didn’t you rotate?’ and then when I did change it, ‘Why did you rotate?’. At Southampton we had five days recovery after Manchester City and that should be enough.”

Louis van Gaal is eager for a first win against his “ghost team” as Manchester United look to halt a three-game losing sequence against Swansea City in the Premier League.

United ended a run of four straight defeats in all competitions with a 0-0 draw against Chelsea on Monday – a match which prompted their under-fire manager to vow not to resign, given the spirited display of his players.

Key Opta Stats:

– Manchester United have won three of their last four Premier League home games against Swansea City, though they did lose the most recent clash.

– Bafetimbi Gomis has scored the winning goal in each of the last two Premier League games against United.

– United have found the back of the net in all 12 of their home league encounters with the Swansea (25 in total), winning nine (D2 L1).

– Wayne Rooney has been directly involved in three goals in his last four Premier League games against Swansea (one goal, two assists).

– Swansea have won four of the last five meetings with United in all competitions, all by a 2-1 scoreline, including two of their last three visits to Old Trafford.

– Swansea have won just one of their last 10 Premier League away games, losing six of these (D3).

– Five of United’s last eight games at Old Trafford in all competitions have ended goalless.

– United’s last two Premier League defeats from leading positions have both come against Swansea City (1-2 in Feb 2015 and 1-2 in Aug 2015).

The 20-time champions begin the new year five points adrift of the top four and will face a team who have won four of their last five meetings, including two of their previous three visits to Old Trafford.

Despite their poor record, Van Gaal insists there is no magic wand to be waved in order to end their Swansea curse, but has called on his side to improve upon their past displays.

He said on Thursday: “Swansea have been what I call my ghost team, meaning we are looking to start this new year with what I have been told you say in England by breaking the duck.

“It’s always the same. You make a game plan to beat your opponent. We have lost three times to Swansea but then you have to analyse why you have lost.

“It’s always like that. And then you continue with the same vicious circle of working. It’s not any magic. It’s looking to what has happened and what you can improve as a team but also as an individual player.”

Swansea managed just one win in the 11 games after their victory over United in August, prompting the sacking of manager Garry Monk, and one subsequent victory in four under caretaker boss Alan Curtis has left them two points above the bottom three.

But with no defeats and no goals conceded since their 2-1 loss to Manchester City on December 12, Curtis wants his players to “be bold” at Old Trafford.

“We’ve done exceptionally well against them in the last three games, but we know it will be a tough game and we’ll have to be at our best again,” he said.

“Some of their results have been a little indifferent but they were excellent against Chelsea on Monday and the game could have swung their way on another day. We’ve just got to go there and perform, be bold and play our football.”

United, seeking a first win in nine matches, are likely to be without Jesse Lingard (hamstring) for the game, while Luke Shaw (leg), Antonio Valencia (ankle) and Maros Rojo (shoulder) are definitely out.

Van Gaal is consequently unlikely to make many changes from the Chelsea draw, whereas Swansea could welcome back Angel Rangel, Leon Britton, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Ki Sung-yueng and Andre Ayew to the starting line-up after making eight changes for the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace.

Curtis has confirmed that Wayne Routledge (knock) should return to the squad, while Federico Fernandez (heel) could be fit to travel. Eder (ankle) is a doubt, while Franck Tabanou is unlikely to be involved despite recovering from a thigh problem.